God (or Santa) bless us, every one. “A merry Christmas, Bob!” Scrooge tells Cratchit, upon returning from his night of harrowing revelation. It’s less a matter of alienating the pious than of endeavouring to be hospitable to those who are not. Times, “merry Christmas” was then “something the uncouth masses shouted as they traveled in drunken mobs.”. You probably remember last year … Culture 'Merry Christmas' versus 'happy holidays': A tale of two expressions. Young observed last year in theL.A. To me, the religious holy day known as Christmas is a different entity than the bloated secular holiday most people observe. WHY?? For some people, they mean completely different things. Holiday greetings have been debated for years. @16PinOak: You said it started as Merry Christmas so I was just working from that.We said all 3 Merry Christmas to Christians, Happy Holidays when it was not the exact day but in between Thanksgiving and NYE and Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends of which I have many and I'm 65. Ilana Mermelstein can be reached at imerm@umich.edu . Well, happiness is agreeable to all sensibilities, even those by which merriment offends. Happy Holidays is more general. © 2021 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Breadcrumb Trail Links. It is a traditionally Christian sentiment. As a practicing Christian, I realize I'm expected to be bothered by the use of "Happy Holidays" in place of "Merry Christmas", but honestly I'm not. Most people think this is the biggest way to differentiate between “merry” and “happy” is simply that. Of course, the religious have long had reason to regard holiday merriment with skepticism, and have wished, perhaps justly, to protect the sanctity of Christmas from the compromising interests of those who would seek to appropriate it as a non-denominational affair. I’m confused, wondering how so many people fail to understand the simple logic of acknowledging the holiday celebrated by a whopping ninety percent of Americans. Merry Christmas OR Happy Holidays? Stockings, presents, and Santa are concepts that everyone can enjoy. The truth is, I don’t think many Canadians care— as long as Merry Christmas isn’t said to someone whom one knows is not a Christian as some sort of insult In reality, Christmas is almost completely a secular holiday now. Happy Holidays! I don't think this should be such a controversial subject. I’m confused, wondering how so many people fail to understand the simple logic of acknowledging the holiday celebrated by a whopping ninety percent of Americans. Special New Year's Offers for Print Subscriptions! Merry Christmas and happy holidays, today and every day. The card bears two blank spaces for the names of both sender and recipient and a group of British revellers sharing a toast with glasses of wine at a restaurant table. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. Read more about cookies here. Tags: War on Christmas. The Obama and Bush administration both said “Happy Holidays” on the White House cards, but they both also wished the nation a “Merry Christmas” as a whole. And so it’s not coincidence that the phrase should recur frequently throughout the novella, signifying not libertine cheer but simple mirth and good-natured jolliness. Like “how’s it going” or “have a nice day,” they have an automatic quality, uttered as a reflex to punctuate the beginning and end of civil conversation. As the centuries elapsed so too did that “a” develop into an “o,” until, in the 16th century, we find the first recorded use of “holy-day” as one word, combined neatly with an “i” into the word we use today. This disagreement over the use of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays leaves some people worried about offending someone over their choice of greetings. Happy Holidays" debate has been a hot topic for a while now. Perhaps the endurance of these two phrases is due to the pleasant sound they create; charming in ways that “merry holidays” and “happy Christmas” — other than to the English — simply are not. “Happy Holidays” came to be used as an alternative to “merry Christmas” almost as soon as “merry Christmas” was standardized. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Have a great solstice whatever. Please try again, 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/happy-holidays-or-merry-christmas The phrases Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays do have some differences. My favorite Christmas song was “O Holy Night”. There's also the idea of not knowing other people's religious or non-religious status. But others say "Happy Holidays" is … After all, would not true faith call for the exaltation of the broader spiritual spread? Semantics spoil the gesture, when all you want is to be affable, and idle would it be to get too invested in what either phrase, in any ordinary social context, really means. We’ve loved having all of you as part of our Fat Quarter Shop family this year and cannot wait for what 2021 will bring! Wherever Santa Claus takes prominence over the nativity, someone will complain that we’ve lost the true meaning of Christmas. “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You,” it reads as the world’s first official Christmas Card, and the beginning of a worldwide phenomenon that would help immortalize the phrase. "Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday". How no-one dares to say “Happy CHRISTMAS” in public anymore? Well of course, it’s all down to “political correctness”. It is a traditionally Christian sentiment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We're talking 17-to-1, here. Happy Holidays, Round 2,016. What started as a dispute forged by religious preference became an argument of political malice. Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which, in Western Christian Churches, is held annually on 25 December.For centuries, it has been the subject of several reformations, both religious and secular. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. According to church groups, this should not mean only for religions other than Christianity. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Have a great solstice whatever. Merry Christmas vs. In a world where "Happy Easter" and "Happy Birthday" are the norm, that "merry" part of "Merry Christmas" is unique—to say the least. Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas Now that the holidays are behind us, I’ve been thinking about the use of “Merry Christmas” vs “happy holidays.” Wishing someone “Merry Christmas” has never been an issue for me, but then again “happy holidays” has never been an issue for me either. I sang in the church choir. Sometimes I say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Is Amazon actually giving you the best price? But what about the “holidays” for which we are wishing others such a nice time? However, it is more complex than that. In a world where "Happy Easter" and "Happy Birthday" are the norm, that "merry" part of "Merry Christmas" is unique—to say the least. It encompasses all holidays, religious in nature or not, that are celebrated during the winter holiday season. The debate over whether one should say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy holidays" has been going on for decades. Christmas trees are enjoyed by many families, not just those who actively attend church. Merry Christmas vs. “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You,” it reads as the world’s first official Christmas Card, and the beginning of a worldwide phenomenon that would help immortalize the phrase. In this period, Christmas was celebrated in the traditional pagan fashion, with music and ample drink, and to the extent that “merry Christmas” gained purchase at the time as a salutation, it was not so much a gesture of pious faith as a toast to the convivial spirit of the season. How no-one dares to say “Happy CHRISTMAS” in public anymore? Don't smack America's religious beliefs in the face just because you want to be tolerant. Should an office "Christmas party" be called a "holiday party" so that it's more … The phrases Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays do have some differences. The saying Happy Holidays includes all religions and cultures in its sentiment. For example, when “it doesn’t matter” is included as an option, 63% of Republicans or those who lean Republican say they prefer “Merry Christmas,” while 5% choose “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” and 32% say it doesn’t matter. So let me end by saying Happy Holidays! 'Happy Holidays' Instead Of 'Merry Christmas': Your Legal Right At Work, Not A War 12/22/2015 10:04 am ET Updated Dec 06, 2017 I know some folks claim there's a "war on Christmas" that includes saying, "Happy Holidays" instead of, "Merry Christmas." As long as I'm still free to observe the Christian holy day of Christmas, the secular community at large can use whatever greeting they choose. 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